Advent Devotion for Friday, December 8
December 8, 2006
Luke 22:14-30 (read it here: http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=32592892 )
I am continually amazed at this passage of Scripture. I am first amazed at the disciples’ selfishness. Jesus speaks to them, breaking the bread which is his body, pouring the wine which is his blood. We can almost read in these verses the tremble in Jesus’ voice, the hush over the disciples, the crumbs tumbling to the floor as Jesus says, “This is my body, which is given for you.”
And the disciples choose this time, this holy moment, to argue about who is the greatest. An argument about who would have betrayed Jesus degenerates into this contest of who is greatest in God’s eyes.
I feel as if I’ve been here, at times when I have stared God’s grace, goodness, and self-sacrifice in the eye and still managed to justify myself. I have seen Christ on Calvary and turned away, congratulating myself that I of all people understand and live for this man I see dying. And I forget that it is his blood that brings life, not my cleverness; it is his priceless gift to me that grants eternity, not my cheap gift given with greedy intent. For all intents and purposes, I live like these disciples, staring love Himself in the face and still completely missing it.
I’m amazed at the callousness of the disciples.
But I’m even more amazed at Jesus’ response.
Jesus watches the disciples, and his heart melts. Here he is, giving away his very life, and all the disciples can do is bicker about how great they are. I would have thrown the cup to the floor, smashed the bread to pieces and said, “You think you’re so great? Well, you’re not! You’ll never amount to anything!”
But this is not what Jesus does. Yes, he gently chides the selfish disciples, but then he says this: “...I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom...and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
He looks at these men, the ones who think they’re so great, and he tells them they are greater than they possibly could ever know. Their dream about being the greatest on earth is sinful not because it’s so grand, but because it’s too small. These men, these bickering, fallen men, had thrones with their names on them hidden away in heaven. These men were kings but didn’t know it, couldn’t see it. And because they couldn’t see it, they beat each other up rather than preparing themselves, and each other, for glory.
You know, we too are called to believe that we are kings and queens in the sight of God. Perhaps this is not in the same way as the disciples, this is true. But Romans 8:19 says that “all of creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.” All of creation, every pulse, every electron, every tree, every star, every unexplored galaxy, waits holding its breath for the priceless creation that is us, the children of God. They look to us, waiting, with baited breath, to see creation as it was meant to be, redeemed, righteous, joyful.
This is what we are, Christians–not what we could be if we work hard enough, but what we are. My hunch is that we think we are less than this. My hunch is that we would settle for being pretty good and getting a nice place in heaven, but God says we are so much more; we are a part of a celestial, eternal body of people that the universe desperately needs. My hunch is that we would settle for being a bickering band of disciples, but God says that we are royalty.
Luke 22:14-30 (read it here: http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=32592892 )
I am continually amazed at this passage of Scripture. I am first amazed at the disciples’ selfishness. Jesus speaks to them, breaking the bread which is his body, pouring the wine which is his blood. We can almost read in these verses the tremble in Jesus’ voice, the hush over the disciples, the crumbs tumbling to the floor as Jesus says, “This is my body, which is given for you.”
And the disciples choose this time, this holy moment, to argue about who is the greatest. An argument about who would have betrayed Jesus degenerates into this contest of who is greatest in God’s eyes.
I feel as if I’ve been here, at times when I have stared God’s grace, goodness, and self-sacrifice in the eye and still managed to justify myself. I have seen Christ on Calvary and turned away, congratulating myself that I of all people understand and live for this man I see dying. And I forget that it is his blood that brings life, not my cleverness; it is his priceless gift to me that grants eternity, not my cheap gift given with greedy intent. For all intents and purposes, I live like these disciples, staring love Himself in the face and still completely missing it.
I’m amazed at the callousness of the disciples.
But I’m even more amazed at Jesus’ response.
Jesus watches the disciples, and his heart melts. Here he is, giving away his very life, and all the disciples can do is bicker about how great they are. I would have thrown the cup to the floor, smashed the bread to pieces and said, “You think you’re so great? Well, you’re not! You’ll never amount to anything!”
But this is not what Jesus does. Yes, he gently chides the selfish disciples, but then he says this: “...I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom...and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
He looks at these men, the ones who think they’re so great, and he tells them they are greater than they possibly could ever know. Their dream about being the greatest on earth is sinful not because it’s so grand, but because it’s too small. These men, these bickering, fallen men, had thrones with their names on them hidden away in heaven. These men were kings but didn’t know it, couldn’t see it. And because they couldn’t see it, they beat each other up rather than preparing themselves, and each other, for glory.
You know, we too are called to believe that we are kings and queens in the sight of God. Perhaps this is not in the same way as the disciples, this is true. But Romans 8:19 says that “all of creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.” All of creation, every pulse, every electron, every tree, every star, every unexplored galaxy, waits holding its breath for the priceless creation that is us, the children of God. They look to us, waiting, with baited breath, to see creation as it was meant to be, redeemed, righteous, joyful.
This is what we are, Christians–not what we could be if we work hard enough, but what we are. My hunch is that we think we are less than this. My hunch is that we would settle for being pretty good and getting a nice place in heaven, but God says we are so much more; we are a part of a celestial, eternal body of people that the universe desperately needs. My hunch is that we would settle for being a bickering band of disciples, but God says that we are royalty.
posted by Rev. Michael Jordan at 10:47 AM
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